


The One Where Elio's Eardrum Bursts

by elioolivercmbyntrash



Series: Elio & Oliver one shots [5]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Ear infection, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sick Character, Sickfic, Some angst, Whump, sick! Elio, tooth rotting fluff actually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24508081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elioolivercmbyntrash/pseuds/elioolivercmbyntrash
Summary: Elio gets an ear infection. Oliver takes care of him.
Relationships: Oliver/Elio Perlman
Series: Elio & Oliver one shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720645
Comments: 9
Kudos: 62





	The One Where Elio's Eardrum Bursts

**Author's Note:**

> i get ear infections all the damn time, so I had to write a fic about them. I'm an adult and the pain from ear infections is something that still makes me cry. Oh, and I'm sorry (not sorry) for putting Elio though this again.

It started as a dull ache when the plane went into land. The change in the pressure caused his ear to pop, even though he’d been chewing on several pieces of gum all at once. The gum lost its taste as they were getting ready to take their seatbelts off, and Elio tried not to gag as he removed the lump of grey glue-like substance from his mouth. He rubbed at his ear with his index finger and helped Oliver with their carry ons. 

They were home for the winter break. 

Oliver referred to Italy as his home now and often spoke of moving there some day. Elio craved the slowness of Italian life as well, but New York (and the rest of the world) still had so much for him. He was just in his early twenties, fresh out of Julliard, due to start a new job in the New Year as a professional pianist in some swanky hotel. Italy could wait.

Annella greeted them at the airport, throwing her arms around Elio and pulling him into her chest. “Darling! I missed you so much.” 

“I missed you too, maman,” said Elio, breathing in the scent of her Chanel perfume.

Annella reached up to kiss Elio on the forehead, before she turned to Oliver to hug him as well.

*

The twin beds had gone from Elio’s room, and had been replaced with a double bed. Elio collapsed onto it, and Oliver smiled as he placed their suitcases by the wardrobe. “I remember collapsing onto the bed exactly like that, all those summers ago.”

“Are you going to nap with me?” Elio asked.

“I slept for the whole plane journey so I’ll pass,” replied Oliver. “God bless sleeping pills. I’ll come and wake you in an hour if you’re not up. You don’t want to fuck with your sleeping pattern.”

“OK, mom,” said Elio, grinning.

Elio didn’t sleep at all. He lay there on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his ear throbbing. He bit his lip, cheeks reddening as he noticed tears filling his eyes. He’d turned 24 last month. He shouldn’t be trying not to cry because he had an earache. 

He’d had so many of them as a child. He remembered being 9, and vomiting on the classroom floor because he’d had a temperature and an earache. He’d cried in the nurse’s office while he waited for Mama to come and collect him, and had cried the whole way home until he fell asleep on Mama’s lap while they’d waited for the doctor to come and visit. The last time he’d had one, he’d been 16, and had tried to pretend to himself that his ear was fine. It had lasted a couple of days, until the pain took over his jaw and his head. His mother had scolded him for not saying anything sooner, as she consoled him while he sobbed, head stuck in the toilet bowl. 

After forty-five minutes he gave up trying to sleep. The ceiling was spinning and it was better if he sat upright. Elio gripped the bannister as he made his way downstairs. He found Oliver sitting with his father in the office, looking through some slides together, deep in conversation. DId academics ever stop working? Maman was reading on the sofa. 

“Did you have a nap?” she asked, stroking his curls. He’d let them grow longer over the last year.

“No,” said Elio, resting his head on her shoulder. The world suddenly titled and he sat up, blinking a few times to stabilise things, swallowing the extra saliva that filled his mouth.

*

Elio picked at his dinner. The pain was getting worse; he’d taken some pain medicine, but it wasn’t doing anything. He wiped his eyes on his sweater sleeve.

“Are you alright?” asked Oliver.

“Just not hungry.” Elio pushed his plate away.

*

Elio couldn’t sleep. He went downstairs to make a hot water bottle, and lay on one of the sofas in the living room with the hot water bottle resting on his ear. The fire had died down and the radiators did little to warm up the old villa. Elio shivered and wrapped himself up in a throw, and fell asleep.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” A hand stroked his cheek, and pushed a stray curl away from his face. “I think you’ve got a fever. Either that, or your face is just hot because you have been sleeping with a hot water bottle on it.”

“My ear hurts,” Elio said, his lips wobbling.

“Oh baby,” said Oliver. “Is that why you were so quiet yesterday?”

“I’ve tried pain relief and now the hot water bottle and nothing is helping,” whimpered Elio. “I sound like a child.”

“No, you don’t. Earaches are horrible. We should probably get you to a doctor.”

Elio tried to sit up, and the room began to spin. He gripped onto Oliver’s arm.

“You OK?”

“Dizzy,” Elio murmured, trying not to open his mouth. He gripped Oliver harder. “I...I'm going to throw up. Please, help me.”

Oliver helped Elio to stand. Elio started to gag, and put both his hands to his mouth as Oliver steered him to the closet bathroom. Elio knelt in front of the toilet, and coughed as he vomited. Oliver placed a hand on his back and rubbed it. “Oh Elio,” he sighed. 

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “Is someone ill?” asked Annella

“Elio’s vomiting,” replied Oliver. “He’s complaining of earache.” Oliver opened the door; the little bathroom didn’t have a window in, and the smell of vomit had started to overwhelm him.

“Mio piccino,” said Annella, her brow furrowed. “He got them all the time when he was little. I’ll get a glass of water and call the doctor.”

Elio sat back on his knees, shaking. 

“Done?” Oliver asked, flushing the toilet. 

“I think so,” replied Elio, pushing himself up. 

“Easy, easy.” Oliver stood behind Elio as he washed his hands and his face. He’d rather Elio fall backwards into him, rather than fall back and crack his head open on the toilet. “Your mom’s gone to get you some water.”

“She’ll start fussing,” said Elio. “I don’t want anyone fussing. You’re already fussing.”

*

The doctor looked in Elio’s ears, and declared that the left eardrum looked very swollen, so it was a middle ear infection, which usually happens after people have had a cold or flu, and since it’s viral antibiotics aren’t usually prescribed. Elio hadn’t had a cold, and he was glad that Oliver didn’t bring that up either. Elio had probably vomited from loss of balance, which could be a sign of an inner ear infection as well. They should keep an eye on the vomiting and give pain killers for the fever and pain, and Elio should be as good as new in a few days. 

“See, no need to fuss,” said Elio. He pulled his knees up to his chest and started at the piano in the corner of the room, his fingers itching. 

“Are you kidding? I’m going to make a huge fuss over you,” said Oliver, kissing Elio on the nose. “You look like you need a nap, even though it’s only 11am. Shall I help you go to bed?”

“I’m going to sleep here,” said Elio. “If I try and lie down I’ll probably hurl.” 

Oliver placed his hand on Elio’s forehead. “Do you think Mafalda will make her chicken soup?”

“Mafalda makes that soup for every minor thing,” said Elio, with a smile. “Nosebleeds, cuts and grazes, hangovers. She’ll absolutely make it for this.”

“As long as she makes enough for everyone,” Oliver said. “Try and sleep, my goose. That way you’ll get some peace from people trying to fuss over you.”

Elio’s eyes had already closed, his head resting on the side of the sofa, his breathing already soft. Oliver kissed him, placed a blanket over him, and went to see about getting some of Mafalda’s amazing coffee.

*

They were having lunch in the dining room when they heard a cry and then a thud. Oliver stood up and rushed to the living room, Annella and the professor following close behind. Elio was on the floor, whining, his face drained of all colour apart from the green tinge to his cheeks.

“Mio piccino,” Annella said, bending down. “Elio, what happened?”

“I tried to get up to go to the bathroom,” he said. “And, I got dizzy and fell over. Maman, I’ve pissed myself. I’m sorry.” He started crying. He’d been in a relationship with Oliver now for 5 years, and after this he knew Oliver would leave him. Elio wouldn’t blame him either; his 24-year-old boyfriend should not be lying on the floor in a puddle of his own piss. 

“Oh honey,” said Oliver, bending down next to Annella. “Let’s get you cleaned up and changed. But firstly, are you hurt?”

“No,” said Elio, wiping his tears on the sleeve of Oliver’s Colombia hoodie, which he was practically drowning in. “Oliver, you don’t have to help if you don’t want to. I know I’m disgusting. Mom will help me.”

Elio managed to sit himself up. Annella glanced at her son, and then at Oliver, with a knowing look in her eye. “Tesoro, we are both going to help,” she said. “Do you think you can stand up?” 

Elio stood up, with the help of Oliver. The room began to spin, like he was on one of those rides at the theme park, but he usually managed those. Without warning, he vomited all over the floor. Annella stepped back just in time. Professor Perlman rushed off to the kitchen.  
*

“Do you still want to be with me?” Elio asked, as Oliver scrubbed his back.

“Why would you even ask that?”

“I peed myself.”

“Elio, you’re sick. It happens. What kind of person breaks up with someone just because they peed their pants? It’s not a big deal. How’s your ear feeling?”

“Still really fucking painful,” Elio said, biting his lip. “But you mean it? You’re not going to break up with me?”

“Why would I lie to you?” said Oliver. He’d already lied to Elio though, that summer. He’d hidden her from him. He’d lead Elio on, really. Elio had been 17; summer flings were supposed to be with kids his age, like Marzia or Chiara. Summer flings weren’t supposed to happen with a 24-year-old American intern who was due to get engaged. 

He’d lied to himself, too, about his relationship with her, about his feelings. He knew he should’ve told Elio about the pending engagement, yet he’d wanted to end things on a high note. When he’d heard Elio’s forced ‘Congratulations’ a few months later, he knew he’d been wrong to lie to him. He broke off the engagement soon after that.

"You did, once," said Elio, pretending to be interested in one of the tiles on the wall.

"Elio," said Oliver. "Look at me. I'm not going to break up with you because you peed your pants. I once kissed you, soon after you threw up."

"Yeah, and then you went back to America and got engaged. Did you ever tell her about me?"

Now was not the time for this conversation, and they both knew it. Not while Elio was sick.

"I broke off the engagement because of you, Elio. I didn't handle it well and I made mistakes. The water's getting cold. You should get out of the bath."

Elio nodded.

“Be careful,” said Oliver, as Elio stood up in the bath. Oliver held out a hand for Elio to take hold of as he got out of the bath, and Oliver enveloped him in a towel. “I’ve got you some clean clothes, and your favourite hoodie that’s actually mine.” He pointed to the old Columbia sweater that was on top of the pile of clothes on the chair.

“You know, it’s our hoodie,” said Elio. “That’s the deal when you’re in a relationship with someone.” Elio still had Billowy.

“Usually only one person benefits from that,” said Oliver. “I could never fit into your clothes. You’re still a skinny scrawny thing.”

“Shut up,” Elio said. “I’ll bulk out, eventually. I mean, either my muscles will fill out or my stomach will just fill out, either way one day you might be able to wear one of my shirts.”

“Doubtful,” Oliver said, as he helped Elio to get dressed. “Mafalda said she’s made some of her chicken soup, and she’s insisting you eat some. I think, if she could, she’d actually pin you down and force feed you that stuff.”

“I think I can manage some,” said Elio. “If anything it’ll cheer me up.”

*  
When he woke up the next morning there was blood on his pillow. Blood. Elio put a finger in his ear; it was bloody. Elio sat up, and closed his eyes, praying for the spinning to stop. 

“Oliver!” he said. “There’s blood all over my pillow!”

Oliver bolted awake. “Elio?”

“I think my ear’s been bleeding! And I can’t hear very well out of this ear. What if I lose my hearing? What if I can never -” He started to cry. If he lost his hearing and could never play music again his life would be over.

“Woah,” said Oliver. He sat up, and looked in Elio’s ear. There was a lot of blood and pus and gunk. “I guess your eardrum’s burst. We’ll have to call the doctor to have a look at it.”

*  
Oliver gently cleaned Elio’s ear, once the doctor had visited and confirmed that Oliver was right: it was a burst eardrum. This time, he’d prescribed Elio antibiotics. 

“The ear’ll heal itself up, but it’ll take some weeks,” the doctor said.

“What about my hearing?” Elio whispered.  
.  
“There shouldn’t be any permanent damage. As the ear heals your hearing will improve also.”

“See,” Oliver said, as he gently dried Elio’s ear. “I was right about your eardrum bursting. Doctors are always right.”

“For God’s sake,” said Elio. “Do you think there’s any chicken soup left?”

“Are you kidding? Mafalda made enough to feed the whole of Crema!”

*

**Author's Note:**

> Of course everything is fine, and Elio gets better, but that stuff isn't fun to write. Oh, and the relationship stuff Oliver feels guilty over won't end there, but that's a whole fic itself.


End file.
